Tour guide in Rome?

Question

I'm traveling to Rome with my fourteen year old son and I'm thinking of hiring a tour guide for a few days. Does anyone know of any reputable, but not too expensive companies/people that provide tours?

Answer 1

I am italian and I work in Rome so I suggest you to jump on a bus of citysightseeing ( 12 euro for 12 hours) they are red colours, 2 floors( like english buses) and there is an audio guide, they stop in every important spot of rome ( squares , monuments) and after 30 minutes you can take another one so you have time to see the places and keep the tour, they are good if you don't want to walk too much and are enjoyable.Then there are other buses like that, green one is for the archeological tour of rome to the tombs and roman ruines, a jellow and white bus  is the religious tour to all the most important churches and so on.They are comfy, unexpencive and easy to use and you can do the ticket on board and find them out of termini train station in the square.

Don't take pubblic buses, they are always very crowded and people who steal wallets on, it is better the underground metro.

taxies are expencive and some times taxi men charge you more because you are foreigners, if you can use an ncc, it is a private driver with car and cost are always the same.For example from rome airports to the center it is never more than 35 euro, a taxi can ask you the double or triple for the same way trip.

Buy a nice book like lonely planet guide and a good map and then if you are in trouble ask to people, italian don't speak fluent english sometimes but they try to understand and help somehow and in every hotel receptionist speak english perfectly.

A tour guide it is not the best option with a joung son because they are boring sometimes and you need to follow them and wait for people, so the buses make you more indipendent but safe at same time, and your son can choose what he wants to see and when he is tired just sit on the open bus and listen his i-pod!

Answer 2

I was a tourist guide :))

Look at this link:

http://www.inroma.it/Turismo/Guide_Turis...

I suggest you to buy a good guide

http://www.touringclub.com/ITA/viaggiato...

or print a map!

http://www.informagiovani-italia.com/map...

This is my favourite itinerary (4 days):

There is a bus (the 64) that takes you from Termini to Piazza Venezia, and from Piazza Venezia to S. Pietro! So the start is from Piazza Venezia.

1st day: Renaissance and Baroque.

Piazza Venezia, Piazza del Campidoglio, Via del Corso, Piazza S. Ignazio, Piazza di Pietra (Tempio di Adriano), Pantheon, S. Luigi dei Francesi (with 3 of the most important Caravaggio's masterpieces), S. Agostino (Madonna di Caravaggio inside), Piazza Navona, S. Maria della Pace (Raffaello's fresco and Chiostro del Bramante), Via dei Coronari, Castel S. Angelo, Piazza S. Pietro, S. Pietro (Pietà Michelangelo).

2nd day: Along Via del Corso & Tridente.

Piazza Venezia, the go along Via del Corso: Fontana di Trevi (on the right) Piazza Colonna e Piazza Montecitorio (on the left). Via del Corso, Via Condotti, Piazza di Spagna, Via del Babuino, Via Margutta, Piazza del Popolo, S. Maria del Popolo (two of the most important Caravaggio' masterpieces), Pincio.

3rd day: Baroque.

Piazza Venezia, Via del Corso, Quirinale, S. Andrea al Quirinale, S. Carlo alle quattro fontane (look at the Borromini Cloister!), Palazzo Barberini, Fontana del Tritone (Piazza Barberini), Via Veneto, Villa Borghese, Galleria Borghese, Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna, Museo Etrusco di Villa Giulia.

4th day: Area Archeologica dei Fori.

Piazza Venezia, Colonna Traiana, Piazza del Campidoglio, Musei Capitolini, Foro Romano, Fori imperiali, Palatino, Colosseo, Arco di Costantino.

Rome by night: Via dei Coronari (at six pm!), Gianicolo, Trastevere (pub, pizza, restaurant), Campo de' Fiori (pub, disco), .

If you stay another day....

5th day: Trastevere & Gianicolo.

Piazza Venezia, Teatro Marcello, Isola Tiberina, Trastevere, Via della Lungaretta, S. Maria in Trastevere, S. Pietro in Montorio (Tempietto del Bramante), Fontana Acqua Paola and Gianicolo (WONDERFUL!)

Use google map: http://maps.google.it/maps (version "ibrida")

or: http://www.tesoridiroma.net/luoghi_roma/... (version "ibrida")

Another map of Rome:

http://www.romeguide.it/cartinadiroma/ca...

This is the ATAC site (roman bus)

http://www.atac.roma.it/

Remember the 64 (Termini, Piazza Venezia, S. Pietro)

And this is the Met.Ro site (Metro Underground)

http://www.metroroma.it/nr/rdonlyres/819...

I suggest to use bus! Rome has only two underground lines because the subsoil is rich in archaeological sites and not suitable to be excavated.

This is a site for Roma pass card (museum)

http://www.romapass.it/index_en.html...

The best guide is TCI (Touring Club Italiano)

http://www.touringclub.it/toolbar/puntot...

ENJOY :)))

Answer 3

We used Romeinlimo tour company when we docked in Civitaveccia, Livorno and Naples.

Carlo and Raffaele are both very safe drivers, speak very good English and took excellent care of us. Carlo took us to Pisa/Florence and Raffaele drove us to Sorrento, Positano and Pompeii. They took us to outstanding local restaurants that the usual tourist doesn't find... We had our best Italian meal/wine with the greatest view!! These guys are punctual, so much FUN to be around, and professional.

Carlo got us right into the Accademia that day (there was a long long line) and I am hearing now that some Princess tours were not able to get inside the Accademia. Anyone would feel very comfortable with Carlo and Raffaele.

Our time in Rome with Duman was better than anything we could have imagined. When we got off the ship, he was waiting for us. He was fun, intelligent, spoke perfect English, knowledgeable about history, politics and of course Rome and Italy. He knew what time to see the sights, when the lines would be shorter and as a result were able to do many sights. It felt as if we were with a personal friend who was sharing Rome with us.

We were a little apprehensive about using a company that was not recommended by a friend. But they were terrific in every respect. For our next trip we will certainly call them..

www.romeinlimo.com

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